Dan Campbell Should Steal Sean Payton's Box Full of Cash Idea

Saturday's game is full of personal connections.

Saturday's matchup between the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos carries a touch of emotional weight. 

It is the first meeting between Dan Campbell and Sean Payton. Serving as a matchup of master and apprentice, Campbell will square off with his mentor for the first time since spending five years under Payton as the tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints.

Another impacted party will be linebacker Alex Anzalone, who began his career in New Orleans, before signing in Detroit when Campbell became the head coach in 2021. 

"Obviously have a lot of respect for (Payton). We won a lot of games. He knows how to motivate a team, he knows how to call an offense obviously," Anzalone explained. "Just definitely a great coach. It's funny how the season started and where they are now, they're on a roll. They've won six of their last seven. I know a decent amount of coaches over there, so he has a good staff and he demands a lot out of his guys, coaches included." 

Having played for both, Anzalone is able to uniquely understand and juxtapose both coaches. There's differences in personality, but both coaches have a reputation of resiliency. 

Where the Lions went on a late-season run that saw them win eight of their final 10 games last season, the Broncos are currently on a similar run. This reflects what the veteran linebacker has seen in both coaches. 

"I'd say Dan's personality is a little more different," Anzalone explained. "But, yeah, as far as how their season's been going, following from a distance, it's eerily similar to what we went through last year. You just listen to how the media perceived the team, and now they're starting to catch a little wind and they're having success." 

When Saturday's game kicks off, the competitive nature of both coaches will be on full display. Anzalone anticipates the Broncos coming into the game with a competitive fire, as Payton will try to outduel his former understudy. 

"It's a lot. There's probably some sort of mentorship there, and Dan can probably speak on it more. But, any time you play, I know for me, you have a different type of approach to these games, because you know someone personally," Campbell explained. "Definitely probably brings a little more edge to how you go about your week, and I know that Sean's probably gonna try to come here and put 50 up on us. That's just how he is, just because of all the personal connections." 

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Using props

Some of the NFL's coaching greats have been known to find unique ways to motivate their teams throughout a lengthy NFL season. 

Bill Parcells, a Hall of Fame head coach who mentored Payton and Campbell, was known to utilize props or gimmicks in an effort to help boost team morale or send a message. 

Anzalone said Campbell is not one to normally partake in this activity, but added that he experienced this method when playing for Payton in New Orleans. On Tuesday, he told a story about a time when the veteran coach utilized money in an effort to motivate his team for the playoffs.

"I think the one that probably, most notably sticks out is we walked into the team meeting room and he had a clear, acrylic box full of $100's," Anzalone explained. "It was like, full of $100's. I don't even know how — but apparently it was how much money you'd make if you made a run in the playoffs. So, you could probably do the math on that. I don't know where the money came from, but that's probably the most notable."